How to Request your eUpgrade

You can use your eUpgrade Credits to request an upgrade on any eligible Air Canada, Air Canada Express, and Air Canada Rouge flight which features a Business Class or Premium Economy cabin, so long as you have a ticketed reservation. You will also need to ensure that your Aeroplan number is entered as your frequent flyer number on your reservation in order to complete an upgrade.

You can request an upgrade for an entire one-way itinerary, or choose to upgrade only certain flight segments. Upgrades can be requested:

Your booking window is determined by your Air Canada Altitude status and the Economy Fare class you purchased. It is based on the local time at the departure city. This applies to each individual flight segment, including connections.

When requesting an eUpgrade to Business Class, you will always be offered the option to sit in the best available seat. For instance, if you originally requested an eUpgrade to Business Class, but there are no Business Class seats available at flight departure, and seats in Premium Economy are available, you will be offered a seat in Premium Economy. The eUpgrade requirements will naturally be adjusted accordingly.

How eUpgrade Credits and Add-ons are calculated

As soon as you request your upgrade, the required eUpgrade Credits are removed from your account. Please note:

Your eUpgrade Credits must not expire prior to the date of the flight for which you wish to request an upgrade

The credits with the shortest validity period will always be removed from your account first

Also note that an eUpgrade Add-on may apply if you are travelling to an international destination and requesting an eUpgrade to Business Class, depending on your Altitude status and your booking class.

If you end up not receiving an upgrade, or if you are upgraded for only a part of your itinerary, you may be entitled to a refund. If so, a portion or all of the eUpgrade Credits are returned to your account 72 hours after your travel has been completed.

How upgrade availability is determined for upgrades to Business Class

Between the time of reservation and up to 24 hours prior to departure

When you request an upgrade within your booking window and upgrade space is available, your upgrade will be confirmed at the time of your request.

For eligible customers travelling on International flights with a Latitude (booking classes Y and B) or Premium Economy Flexible (booking class O) fare, upgrades are based on the availability of “P” booking class at time of request. For eligible customers travelling on North American and Caribbean flights with a Latitude (booking class Y, B) or Premium Economy Flexible fare (booking class O) fare, upgrades are based on the availability of “Z” booking class at time of request.

For eligible customers travelling on flights to North American, Caribbean, and International destinations holding a ticketed reservation in any other eligible fare (e.g. Flex, Premium Economy Lowest), upgrades are based on the availability of “R” booking class at time of request.

Once an upgrade is confirmed, the flight segment will be confirmed in “R” booking class regardless of what booking class was used to determine availability. All other fare rules (mileage accumulation, fees, etc.) will be based on the original purchased fare.

Your reservation must be completed and ticketed and you must be within your booking window to request an upgrade. If no seats are available, you will be automatically put on a waiting list for an upgrade. If a Business Class seat becomes available up to 24 hours prior to your flight, upgrades will be assigned as follows:

Altitude members holding a reservation in all other eligible booking classes

For members holding the same Altitude status, priority is given to the member holding highest eligible booking classes

Time of request

For members holding the same Altitude status and eligible booking class, priority is given in order of time of request.

Within 24 hours of departure

If you do not receive an upgrade email confirming your upgrade before you check-in, your request will be automatically transferred to the airport standby list. Upgrades on the airport standby list will be processed by taking into account the following:

Altitude status level

Booking class

Time of check-in

Airport standby list – departure gate process

Air Canada has introduced enhancements at the departure gate which facilitate the processing of all customers on the airport standby list. At flight closure, based on the number of available seats in each cabin, all customers on the standby list are processed automatically. As such, if you are waitlisted for an upgrade and space is available once the flight is ready to board, your seat will be changed automatically between 45-60 minutes prior to flight departure depending on your destination.

If you are travelling with eUpgrade Companions, your individual priority on the airport standby list may differ (i.e., you may receive the upgrade but your companion may not). As such, we ask that you are present at the gate at the time indicated on your boarding pass in order to ensure the orderly allotment of upgrades and seat assignments. In the event that you wish to cancel your eUpgrade, our agents will make their best effort to return your original seat; however, we cannot guarantee it will still be available.

Reservations with more than two passengers

If you are travelling on a reservation with more than two passengers, we strongly recommend that you request your upgrade prior to your day of travel or, at the latest, during check-in with an agent at the airport. Although we will do our utmost, it may not always be possible for us to honour upgrade requests made at the gate when travelling on such reservations.

Travel using another member’s eUpgrade Credits

Currently, only one member may sponsor an upgrade per reservation. For instance, if a Super Elite 100K and Prestige 25K member are travelling together on the same booking, it is not possible for the Super Elite 100K member to sponsor an upgrade for the departing flight(s), and for the Prestige 25K member to sponsor an upgrade for the return flight(s).

Earning frequent flyer miles or points

If you wish to use eUpgrade Credits to request an upgrade on your itinerary, you will be required to use your Aeroplan Number as your frequent flyer number. If you wish to earn miles or points with another program, your eUpgrade request will be cancelled.

Codeshare flights

If you are travelling on a codeshare flight operated by Air Canada (e.g., a flight marketed by United Airlines but operated by Air Canada), you may only request an upgrade with an Air Canada agent at the airport, or at the departure gate on your day of travel. Please note that some airports are excluded; please refer to the codeshare flight information in the “Airport exceptions” section below.

Airport exceptions

If you booked a flight departing from one of the airports listed below:

Cancelling an upgrade

You can cancel the upgrade request by accessing your eUpgrade account, or by contacting Air Canada Reservations or your travel agent

If your upgrade request is confirmed:

You can cancel the upgrade request by contacting Air Canada Reservations or your travel agent. Note that if your originally purchased Economy or Premium Economy booking class is no longer available, you may need to pay the applicable fare difference

Upon cancellation of an upgrade request, any eUpgrade Credits applicable to that flight will be returned to your account.